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Influencing policy on alcohol marketing to young people

Summary of the impact

Almost one in four deaths of young people in England and Wales are attributable to alcohol (Hastings and Sheron, 2011). Critical marketing research by the Institute for Social Marketing at The Open University (ISM-Open) has informed policy by: establishing the link between the marketing practices of drinks manufacturers and young people's attitudes to and consumption of alcohol; providing the material for the seminal report Under the Influence commissioned and published by the BMA Board of Science; guiding the Health Select Committee and underpinning a Private Members Bill on the regulation of alcohol marketing to children.

This research in ISM-Open is a collaboration between the Open University Business School (OUBS) and Stirling University.

Submitting Institution

Open University

Unit of Assessment

Business and Management Studies

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services: Marketing
Psychology and Cognitive Sciences: Psychology

Informing Policy and Practice to Reduce Excessive and Underage Drinking.

Summary of the impact

Excessive alcohol consumption in the UK is recognised to cause widespread health, social and economic problems. Researchers at Lancaster sought to investigate related aspects of the problem: consumer and retailer perspectives. Piacentini's research on student alcohol culture has influenced medical practitioners' understandings of alcohol consumption, informed Portman Group research, was cited in the Guardian and discussed on BBC Radio 4. Hopkinson's research on underage alcohol sales identified the need for a new collaborative, community based action model, subsequently realised through the formation of Community Alcohol Partnerships. A successful pilot scheme resulted in over £1m being invested by major retailers and a further 54 CAPs being set up across the UK. The research also contributed to the transition from `Challenge 21' to `Challenge 25' and to staff training DVD on alcohol sales for SPAR employees.

Submitting Institution

Lancaster University

Unit of Assessment

Business and Management Studies

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

Medical and Health Sciences: Public Health and Health Services

Media, alcohol advertising/promotion and the drinking habits of young people

Summary of the impact

This study demonstrates the impact of the Unit's research into the relationship between alcohol advertising/promotion, media representations of drinking, and the drinking habits of young people. Our research addressed the concerns of policy makers and health education bodies about the relationship between alcohol advertising/promotion and alcohol consumption habits of teenagers and young adults. Our findings mapped the extent of media alcohol/drinking representations and showed a change in advertising content and overall code-compliance following the introduction of a new code of practice in 2005. The research found no evidence of a relationship between the general reported exposure to alcohol advertising and levels of alcohol consumption among young people. The findings have informed on-going policy recommendations and initiatives regarding the regulation of alcohol advertising, promotion and consumption. Additionally they have informed the policies of government and other agencies, both nationally and internationally (UK, EU, Australia).

Submitting Institution

University of Leicester

Unit of Assessment

Communication, Cultural and Media Studies, Library and Information Management 

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

Medical and Health Sciences: Public Health and Health Services
Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services: Marketing

Experimental evaluation of a national responsible drinking campaign leading to its suspension and recommendations for future campaign development.

Summary of the impact

This case study details an impact relating to health and welfare in which educational practices regarding the dissemination of responsible drinking messages has been influenced, and on public policy and services where this evidence has stimulated policy debate. Specifically, research led to (i) the withdrawal of the Drinkaware Trust's 5-year flagship campaign, Why let the good times go bad? (WLGTGB), and (ii) a recommendation from an independent review to a) involve academics in future campaign development and evaluation, and b) implement changes to the current campaign based on our findings.

Submitting Institution

London South Bank University

Unit of Assessment

Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

Medical and Health Sciences: Public Health and Health Services
Psychology and Cognitive Sciences: Psychology

The impact of alcohol test purchasing by underage adolescents on the availability of alcohol to minors

Summary of the impact

In 1997 the Home Office commissioned a study of underage test purchasing of alcohol. The study, designed by researchers at Swansea University, led directly to legislation in England and Wales, and later in Scotland and Northern Ireland, permitting underage test purchasing of alcohol under official supervision. Subsequent legislation required local authorities to use test purchasing to control the supply of alcohol to children. The method is now used routinely by every UK police force and local authority trading standards department (and internationally), and sales of alcohol to minors have fallen by over 60%.

Submitting Institution

Swansea University

Unit of Assessment

Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience

Summary Impact Type

Political

Research Subject Area(s)

Medical and Health Sciences: Public Health and Health Services

Alcohol Minimum Pricing Policy: government and national debate

Summary of the impact

In 2007, as part of a major update of the national alcohol strategy, the UK Government announced that it would commission an independent national review of the evidence on the relationship between alcohol price, promotion and harm. Subsequently, in 2008, researchers from the University of Sheffield (UoS) were commissioned by the UK Department of Health (DoH) for an `Independent Review of the Effects of Alcohol Pricing and Promotion'.

The UoS research has played a crucial role in informing the debate and deliberations on the available Government options for interventions on alcohol consumption in England and Wales, by providing a robust evidence base to underpin the debate. The UoS research findings have been used to inform policy by senior decision-making bodies e.g. the House of Commons Health Select Committee and the UK Chief Medical Officer to inform policy. The findings have also stimulated the potential for policy intervention beyond England and Wales, e.g. in Scotland and Australia.

Submitting Institution

University of Sheffield

Unit of Assessment

Economics and Econometrics

Summary Impact Type

Health

Research Subject Area(s)

Medical and Health Sciences: Public Health and Health Services

Alcohol, culture and public policy

Summary of the impact

This case study refers to research on British drinking cultures and alcohol policy carried out by James Nicholls, Reader in Media and Social Policy, Department of Film and Media Production/HCI (2004-September 2012). In this role, Nicholl's research and his public engagement contributed to shaping the UoA's research reference frame of cultural behaviour, cultural practice and public policy (see Ref5). Following the publication of his book, The Politics of Alcohol (2009) Nicholls developed as a specialist advisor involved in the analysis and planning of alcohol policy at national and regional levels. His work and influence has been cited in key policy documents (including the House of Commons Health Select Committee Report, Alcohol: First Report of Session 2009-10 HC151-1) in 2010. This work has subsequently helped to shape regional and national alcohol policy in both England and Scotland. This case study provides evidence of this impact in regard to the following areas:

  • Influence on alcohol policy at a national level, particularly regarding the role of historical perspectives in the development of policy.
  • Impact on alcohol policy at a regional level through knowledge transfer activities.

Submitting Institution

Bath Spa University

Unit of Assessment

Communication, Cultural and Media Studies, Library and Information Management 

Summary Impact Type

Political

Research Subject Area(s)

Medical and Health Sciences: Public Health and Health Services
Studies In Human Society: Policy and Administration

Influencing business policy towards young people’s alcohol consumption

Summary of the impact

Widespread concern about the effects of excess alcohol consumption by young people has been the focus of extensive national debate. The drinks industry has paid growing attention to these issues; corporate social responsibility measures by both individual companies and industry bodies show evidence of a more sophisticated appreciation of how marketing can be used to address the problem. This is evident in publications of the major drinks companies and the continual updating of recommendations to industry by the Portman Group. Findings from research into young people, alcohol consumption and social identity research have informed public, policy and industry debates and have shaped control measures, in particular by highlighting the social versus individual responsibility issues around so-called binge drinking. Professor Isabelle Szmigin of Birmingham Business School, a lead researcher on this project, has subsequently been directly involved in enhancing corporate social responsibility activities within the alcohol industry through industry and policy wide debates such as a St. George's House consultation on alcohol and has been appointed as one of nine members of the Portman Group Independent Complaints Panel, which adjudicates on complaints made under the industry Code of Practice on the marketing of alcoholic products in the UK.

Submitting Institution

University of Birmingham

Unit of Assessment

Business and Management Studies

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

Medical and Health Sciences: Public Health and Health Services

Young People and Alcohol Policy: Informing a Critical Evidence-based Debate that Challenges Popular Stereotypes

Summary of the impact

Collaborative research conducted at Royal Holloway into young peoples' consumption of alcohol has influenced a richer and more nuanced understanding of the role of alcohol as a cultural force in young people's lives. It has contributed to the quality of the public and policy debate that surrounds alcohol policy issues, and in particular has helped to undermine the widespread stereotype of the `mindless' and criminal young drinker that was the underlying premise of Government anti-drinking campaigns. The research continues to be cited by many alcohol research and policy bodies in the UK, Europe and Australia.

Submitting Institution

Royal Holloway, University of London

Unit of Assessment

Business and Management Studies

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

Medical and Health Sciences: Public Health and Health Services
Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services: Marketing

Developing a Sexual Consent Campaign to Raise Awareness and Educate Young Men on Sexual Activity, Consent, Intoxication and the Law of Rape

Summary of the impact

The findings of this research project directly led to the formation of a Liverpool city wide campaign which ran in 2012. The findings highlighted the prevalence of alcohol related sexual assault amongst the student population in the Merseyside region, along with misunderstandings regarding the relevant legal provisions and the presence of victim blaming attitudes amongst the lay population. Following consultation with Dr Gunby (formerly LJMU), the Council decided to develop a campaign focused on raising awareness and educating young men (aged 18-24) on the issue of intoxication, consent and the law of rape. This is a much called for and significant change, as rape campaigns have almost exclusively focused on the behaviour of young women, which tends to problematically reinforce rape myths. To this end, Dr Gunby worked closely with Liverpool Citysafe Crime Reduction Partnership on the compilation of the campaign. The main beneficiaries of this research are Liverpool City Council, the National Union of Students (NUS) and the student population within Merseyside.

Submitting Institution

Liverpool John Moores University

Unit of Assessment

Law

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

Medical and Health Sciences: Public Health and Health Services
Psychology and Cognitive Sciences: Psychology

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